Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Euro 2024 final – live! England go for European glory against Spain in Berlin

Must read

1715

One more game.

(Nick Potts/PA)

1710

1700 – THREE HOURS TO KICK-OFF

Where are you watching the match tonight?

Fans in the fans zone at Brandenburg Gate
Supporters gather at the fan zone at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin (Ben Birchall/PA)

1650

Well that’s one major Spanish success for the day ticked off… congratulations to Carlos Alcaraz for retaining his Wimbledon title.

Meanwhile, Juan Mata says he has been impressed by the maturity of England’s Kobbie Mainoo.

The 19-year-old Manchester United midfielder has been a revelation since breaking into Southgate’s side and is set to start against Spain.

“He looks so mature with the ball, he’s always asking for the ball and taking responsibility,” former United, Chelsea and Spain midfielder Mata told BBC Radio 5 Live.

England’s Phil Foden, Kobbie Mainoo, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham and Kyle Walker, left to right
Kobbie Mainoo, second from left, has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence in the last year (Nick Potts/PA)

“I asked the guys at United and they say he has been like that always. Doesn’t matter if he’s at Old Trafford with 75,000 or playing in the academy.

“We are seeing a generation of players that are playing in a way that looks like they have been in the Premier League for 10 years.”

1640

1630

While we wait, here’s a look back at the highlights from Saturday’s final preview press conference with Southgate and captain Harry Kane.

1625

Former England defender Danny Mills is confident Southgate’s men can cope with whatever Spain and in particular teenager Lamine Yamal, who turned 17 on Saturday, will throw at them.

Mills told Sky Sports: “He’s an exceptional talent, we know that, but if I was England, I’d be looking and thinking, ‘we can deal with that, that’s not a problem’. Nico Williams down the other side, (Alvaro) Morata, probably, down the middle, ‘yes, we can deal with that’.

Spain’s Lamine Yamal, centre, and Fermin Lopez celebrate after beating France
Spain’s Lamine Yamal has lit up the tournament (Bradley Collyer/PA)

“I don’t see that as a huge problem. This isn’t Cristiano Ronaldo in his pomp, this isn’t Lionel Messi in his pomp, Gareth Bale in his pomp.

“This is a young kid with bags of talent; we’ve got Foden, Bellingham, Cole Palmer, (Bukayo) Saka. We’ve got equally as much threat.

“Spain will have to worry about what we are doing as well just as much as us worrying about them.”

1615

Here come the England fans!

England fans in Berlin
(Ben Birchall/PA)
England fans arrive in Berlin
(Nick Potts/PA)
England fans arrive in Berlin
(Ben Birchall/PA)
England fans arrive in Berlin
(Ben Birchall/PA)

The Spanish are arriving in big numbers, too.

Spain fans with an England supporter
(Ben Birchall/PA)
Spain fans in Berlin
(Ben Birchall/PA)

1605

Former England goalkeeper David Seaman is in Berlin for the final and told Sky Sports: “It’s massive and I’m really confident if I’m honest.

“I’m sure it’s our time, and Gareth’s time, because of the way the squad is and the way we’ve been playing in this tournament.

“We haven’t played our best but every performance has been getting better and better.

“I’ve always said that football’s coming home. I started with that song in Euro 1996 and I want to be here when football finally comes home.”

David Seaman is congratulated by his England team-mates
David Seaman is confident England will win Euro 2024 (Adam Butler/PA)

Harry Redknapp, the former Tottenham boss, is similarly confident about England’s chances of ending their 58-year major trophy drought.

He said on Sky Sports: “I think we’ve got the best players, better players than them From the start of the tournament, I said to everybody I thought England were a good thing to win this tournament with the group of players.

“We’ve got an amazing group of talent. We’ve got the footballer of the year in Germany, the footballer of the year in Spain (Jude Bellingham), the footballer of the year in England, (Phil) Foden. We’re just full of talent.

“I just fancy us to put it all together. We haven’t really put it all together over 90 minutes throughout the tournament, but tonight, I’ve got a feeling that we could do that. I think we’ll be too strong for Spain.”

1600

Good afternoon and welcome to our live coverage of England’s historic Euro 2024 final showdown with Spain at the Olympiastadion in Berlin!

At stake is a first ever European crown for England’s men and a first major trophy for them since the 1966 World Cup.

It is their second shot at winning the European Championship final in three years after the agonising shootout defeat by Italy that saw Euro 2020 end with heartbreak, with the Lionesses then lifting the nation’s spirits in 2022 by winning the Women’s Euros in dramatic fashion at Wembley.

England players and staff stand dejected after full-time in the Euro 2020 final
Can England finally move on from the heartbreak of the Euro 2020 final by beating Spain on Sunday? (Mike Egerton/PA)

Standing in the way of Gareth Southgate’s side this time around are a Spain outfit who have won all six of their games at the tournament so far, scoring 13 goals to England’s seven.

Follow us throughout the afternoon as we round up the best of the pre-match opinion, check out how fans of both nations are gearing up for the big occasion and get the final team news to you as soon as possible.

Then it’s over to Berlin for the 2000BST kick-off to chart every key moment and soak up all the reaction – stick with us right through to the victorious team’s trophy lift and celebrations.

Latest article